The Grammys are packing up and leaving Southern California for Las Vegas.
The Recording Academy made the announcement Tuesday, saying the 64th Annual Grammy Awards have been rescheduled and will now air April 3 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas — instead of taking place in Los Angeles.
“We are excited to take the Grammys to Las Vegas for the very first time, and to put on a world-class show,” Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said in a statement.
“We are thrilled to become part of the Grammy Awards legacy and have the opportunity to host this year’s prestigious event at the iconic MGM Grand Garden Arena,” MGM Resorts International Vice President of Entertainment Chris Baldizan said in a separate statement. “We are ready to celebrate the biggest night in music in the Entertainment Capital of the World, and can’t wait to show artists, and music fans everywhere why Las Vegas throws the best party.”
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The show had originally been scheduled to take place on Jan. 31 at the Crypto.com Arena — formerly the Staples Center — in downtown L.A.
As previously reported, the awards were temporarily shelved because the surge in COVID-19 infections in Los Angeles County created “too many risks,” organizers said.
This is the first time the show has been held outside of Los Angeles or New York since 1973. Organizers didn’t say why the awards are heading to Vegas. But Billboard magazine reports the venue change probably has something to do with the Crypto.com Arena being unavailable in the spring because of its sports tenants.
“A springtime ceremony eliminates Crypto.com Arena and nearly every major professional sports arena in the country,” the magazine said. “Both the NHL and the NBA require every team in their respective leagues to hold all of April, May and most of June for playoff games and championships. There are exceptions for teams with no chance of making the postseason, but since opening in 1999, at least one of Crypto.com Arena’s three tenant teams has always made the playoffs.”
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This is the second year the Grammys have been delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, the rescheduled awards were scaled down and held outside.
The nominations for the 64th Grammys were announced in November, with Soul composer and The Late Show bandleader, Jon Batiste, leading the competition with 11 nods.
This year’s Grammys will air live on Sunday, April 3 (8:00-11:30 PM, live ET/5:00-8:30 PM, live PT) on CBS and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+. Trevor Noah, the Emmy Award-winning host of The Daily Show, will return as master of ceremonies.
